(Bloomberg) — Italy is set to marginally tighten Covid-19 restrictions, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi seeks to slow the spread of the omicron variant, which now accounts for almost a third of new cases in the country.
The premier and key ministers decided on Thursday to reimpose mandatory use of protective masks outdoors throughout the country, and to reduce the length of validity for Covid passports to six months from the current nine months, a spokesperson said.
Italy will also reduce the time between second vaccinations and booster shots to four months while adding new access restrictions for the unvaccinated at restaurants and cafes.
The measures are due to be officially adopted at a cabinet meeting later in the day.
Italy has seen a steep increase in infections, recording 36,293 new cases on Wednesday and 146 deaths, with a positivity rate approaching 5%.
That case level marks a one-year high, though far fewer patients are now in intensive care units compared with last year’s peak of more than 4,000. The new variant currently represents 28% of cases, the national health institute said earlier Thursday. The highly transmissible omicron is expected to become dominant in Europe in the coming weeks.
Prime Minister Draghi said during a press conference Wednesday that new lockdowns are not currently among measures being considered, even for the unvaccinated.
Italy operates a three-tier system that defines restrictions for each region, and regional governments are also authorized to add their own restrictions. Several of the country’s 20 regions have already imposed new rules including a return to mandatory mask use outdoors and cancellations of planned events around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
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